Big Sandy Creek Watershed N-5

Big Sandy Creek Watershed N-5 is an earth dam located in El Paso County, Colorado, built in 1960. It carries a Low hazard potential classification.

Hazard potentialLowFailure would cause limited damage
ConditionNot assessed
Emergency action planNot reported
Last inspection07/20/2020
Height32 ft
Built196066 years ago

Dam profile

NID height · 32 ft
32 FT TWO-STORY HOUSEMEDIAN U.S. DAM · 24 FT

32 ft tall and 1,477 ft long, taller than 74% of U.S. dams with a recorded height. Height is drawn to scale against a two-story house, about 25 ft; the profile is a generic embankment section and the water level is illustrative.

About Big Sandy Creek Watershed N-5

The primary purpose of Big Sandy Creek Watershed N-5 is flood risk reduction. The dam is designed to control downstream flooding by temporarily storing excess water during storms and releasing it at a controlled rate. The dam is owned by Double El Scd, Board (devin Schinzel, Board Presid (local government). It impounds the Big Sandy Creek-tr near Ramah.

The dam stands 32 feet tall and stretches 1,477 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 67 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 833 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 5 square miles. Completed in 1960, the structure is well into its service life at over 50 years old.

This dam has a low hazard potential classification, meaning that failure would cause minimal damage, limited primarily to the dam owner's property, with no expected loss of life. The most recent inspection on record was 07/20/2020.

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Location

StateColorado
CountyEl Paso
Nearest CityRamah
River/StreamBig Sandy Creek-tr
Coordinates39.10361, -104.30223

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeEarth
NID Height32 ft
Dam Height28 ft
Dam Length1,477 ft
Year Completed1960 (66 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage833 acre-ft
Max Storage833 acre-ft
Normal Storage498 acre-ft
Surface Area67 acres
Drainage Area5 sq mi
Max Discharge4,216 cfs
Spillway TypeUncontrolled

Ownership & Safety

PurposeFlood Risk Reduction
OwnerDouble El Scd, Board (devin Schinzel, Board Presid
Owner TypeLocal Government
Hazard ClassificationLow
Condition AssessmentNot assessed
Last Inspection07/20/2020
Emergency Action PlanNot Required

Identifiers

NID IDCO00559
Federal IDCO00559
More InfoState Dam Safety Program